Privacy Primer: Mastering the Data Privacy Basics

Say “data privacy,” and dozens of definitions probably come to mind.

To you, it might mean securely storing passwords in an encrypted app, installing an ad blocker after clicking on “Decline Cookies” for the thousandth time, or withholding your contact information when retailers relentlessly ask for it at the checkout counter.

But for businesses and privacy leaders, it is about ensuring that privacy powers all business practices.

Data privacy today is about:

• Protecting consumers through laws and regulations. A growing list of policy initiatives — GDPR, CPRA, and many more — protect peoples’ data from exploitation and preserve the right to privacy online. Concerns range from mass commercial surveillance, to algorithmic decisioning, to law enforcement data rights, to keeping our children safe online (and the list goes on).
• Building trust by conducting responsible business. Businesses have a huge opportunity to uphold the consumer contract and use privacy as a brand differentiator. Companies like Apple and Okta are doing this to grow their revenue bottom line already, turning compliance into an advantage. Say “data privacy,” and dozens of definitions probably come to mind. To you, it might mean securely storing passwords in an encrypted app, installing an ad blocker after clicking on “Decline Cookies” for the thousandth time, or withholding your contact information when retailers relentlessly ask for it at the checkout counter. But for businesses and privacy leaders, it is about ensuring that privacy powers all business practices.

If this data privacy landscape sounds complex, that’s because it is.

In this guide, you’ll learn what data privacy is, the key laws your company is accountable to, why it’s important to you and your job, and how to overcome common challenges.